Recently been in touch with my conveyancing solicitor in Mere who acted for me 18 months ago and wanted a conveyancing quote based on the same type of home move (a leasehold residence and a freehold premises) of similar values with a mortgage from Britannia. I am now being quoted twice the amount. Better the devil I know or should I try and find an alternative property lawyer?
The charges appear a little high. If you you were to look around you might decrease the fees marginally by say £125. On the other hand, if you were content with the conveyancing the firm gave you maylive to rue opting for an an untested solicitor. Remember to enquire the firm can represent Britannia. You can utilise our search tool to get a quote a Mere conveyancing firm on the Britannia member panel, which can often include conveyancing solicitors in Mere.
IfI were to buy a straightforward housein Mere for cash and have no survey and no conveyancing searches how much could I expect to have to pay for conveyancing in Mere?
The only saving you would make on is the Mere conveyancing searches. The solicitor still got to do everything else - money laundering, communicating with the vendors property lawyer, stamp duty submission, register the ownership etc. A marginal saving might be made by not having to register a charge but it will not be meaningful.
It is a dozen years since I bought my property in Mere. Conveyancing lawyers have now been instructed on the sale but I am unable to locate the title documents. Is this a major issue?
You need not be too concerned. Firstly the deeds may be kept by your mortgage company or they may stored with the lawyers who acted in the purchase. Secondly the chances are that the land will be recorded at the land registry and you will be able to prove you own the property by your conveyancing lawyers procuring current official copies of the land registers. Most conveyancing in Mere relates to registered property but in the unlikely event that your property is unregistered it adds to the complexity but is not insurmountable.
Do I have to attend the offices of the solicitor to execute the legal charge? If so, I will appoint a lawyer who conducts conveyancing in Mere so that I can pop in to their offices when needed.
Nowadays conveyancing panel lawyers for lenders conduct the vast majority of communications through Royal Mail, internet or over the phone. This means that they can undertake the conveyancing transaction no matter where you live in England or Wales. Nevertheless you should see if you can still book an appointment to visit conveyancing lawyer if needed.
Just had an offer accepted on a new build flat in Mere. Conveyancing is necessary evil at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. Can you give me some examples of some of the questions asked in new build legal work.
Here is a sample of a selection of leasehold new build enquiries that you can expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Mere
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Has the Lease plan been approved by the Land Registry and if not when will they be lodged for this purpose? The Lease must contain a provision on behalf of the Vendor to pay the service charges in respect of unoccupied units in order to ensure that all services can be provided. Please confirm the Lease plans are surveyor prepared. Where service of notices and proceedings can be at the property demised please confirm that this can be amended to include simultaneous services at the Lessees’ solicitors’ offices where the Lessee from time to time is not resident in the UK - such solicitors may be varied by notice in writing to the Landlord from time to time but otherwise will be as previously specified. Will the freehold then be transferred for a nominal consideration (not exceeding £100) to the Management Company?
What makes a Mere lease problematic?
There is nothing unique about leasehold conveyancing in Mere. Most leases are unique and legal mistakes in the legal wording can result in certain clauses are erroneous. For example, if your lease is missing any of the following, it could be defective:
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Clauses dealing with recovering service charges for expenditure on the building or common parts.
You may have difficulties when selling your property if you have a defective lease as they can affect a potential buyer’s ability to obtain a mortgage. Santander, Bank of Scotland, and Aldermore all have express requirements when it comes to what is expected in a lease. Where a lender has been advised by their lawyers that the lease is problematic they may refuse to provide security, obliging the purchaser to withdraw.
Leasehold Conveyancing in Mere - Examples of Queries before buying
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The prefered form of lease arrangement is if the freehold title is in the ownership of the leaseholders. In this scenario the tenants have being in charge if their destiny and although a managing agent is usually employed if the building is larger than a house conversion, the managing agent acts for the leaseholders themselves. For most Mere leaseholds the outlay for major works tend not to be included within maintenance charges, albeit that some managing agents in Mere obliged leaseholders to pay into a reserve fund created for the specific intention of building a fund for major repairs or maintenance.